sun-rez sunset

Driving into the mountains to the San Carlos Rezervation for a Wednesday evening service at Cowboy Ministries we watched the storm clouds that ended in a double rainbow.

 

 We arrived on the Rez just in time for the service, that is if the service had been a white man's church. But we were now on Rez-time and there was plenty of room for me to run back and forth in my pretty church-going sandals through the mud exclaiming at the light show and clicking away as the sun sent rays of light across the freshly washed landscape.

 

dancing bubbles

Friday I had two friends over to make laundry soap and practice a dance for a concert on Sunday.

counting

sundown

I like to make a special meal for the beginning of the Sabbath on Friday evening. This past week I tried my hand at cheesy stuffed mushrooms. They were good but outshone by the salad made with fresh picked garden fixin's.

name that produce

anyone?

volunteer lettuce

Dedicated to Betsy

I planted some volunteer lettuce when I harvested seeds from my original lettuce plants.

who's on first?

Friday I got a call from my cousin Stanley in Utah. He said his sister, Bertha Robison, a first cousin, and her husband were visiting her daughter, Brenda Farris (who would be my second cousin) not far from me in Gilbert. I called to see if we could meet and we planned a rendez-vous point at a mall near the airport on Monday a couple hours before their departure. 

I have four cousins in the valley from another one of my dad's other siblings so I sent messages inviting them to join us. 

On Monday my cousin Aldo Schritter came with his wife so that our mini family reunion (although I don't know that it can be a "re" union if you never had a first union) had three first cousins and two second cousins meeting for the first time. 

Bertha had some pictures, most I had seen before however there were a couple new pictures including a wedding portrait of my grandparents. I made copies of the three CDs we recorded of my dad telling stories from his childhood and gave a set to Bertha and Aldo. They were pleased with the gift (thanks Betsy for transferring the recordings from cassette tape to CDs). I listened to one of the story CD's as I drove to the mall. So fun to hear my dad's voice interacting with the little ones and telling his favorite stories.

border prayertrol

Early Saturday Morning 4 valley folk and 4 Hopi friends packed into the Blue Corn Express and headed south to the fence. A new pastor friend had invited Soaring Eagles Ministry to join him praying at the boarder. Pastor Stan leads a church in the valley but has been ministering to his people on the Tohno O'odham reservation for ten years. Originally he held services in the chapel of a nursing home but currently he broadcasts on a radio station as well as making regular trips to the fence to pray.

The long drive was aggrandized by the poor road and failing air conditioning. The two hours that we were at the fence in the midday sun were hot but the prayer and worship we experienced made all the discomfort worth the trouble. 

Pastor Stanley typically prays about boarder issues including drugs, gun and illegals that affect the Native Americans. He was especially pleased with our visit as he had never had people from another Native American nation join him praying at the fence.

 

After praying at a "gateway" for a while we rode down the fence about a mile to one of the original boundary markers. Attached to the side of the marker were hooks to hold a standard (flag) so that you could see from one boundary marker to the next.

 

Before leaving we tied a "we were here" fire cloth to the fence. We have plans to join Pastor Stan again in July and August. The goal is to secure the local recreation center so we can spend the night in worship and prayer. After such a good first visit maybe we'll have more boarder prayertrol next time.

all american dad

I am so blessed to have had such a wonderful dad.
 May my father's generosity, 
delight in laughter, gentleness  
and unconditional love
be my inheritance.

mama donna

Since our first meeting back in the early '00's I found myself drawn to Donna Kristal. It would have happened anyway, as her fun loving, affirming, encouraging personality is naturally attractive, but the fact that she was my high school classmate's mother slipped her into that "could be my mother" category. Probably the fact that I met her shortly after becoming motherless added to the bond but it was not until just before my wedding that she officially became my "Mama Donna". 

It happened during a phone call, she probably called to check how I was doing with wedding plans, as that is a typical call she would have made. During our discussion the fact came up that I was getting married without my mother being present. With compassion and understand flowing through the phone line she offered to stand in for my mom during the wedding. Although there weren't any outward changes that others would have recognized over the next two weeks there was a turning that allowed Donna to step into a special place in my heart where I could claim her has my "Momma Donna". 

She was then, and has continued to be an encouraging spirit when the rain clouds come. 

 It was to this relationship that I was welcomed to Michigan last month. Because of a busy schedule and family responsibilities I passed up staying with my BFF Grace in exchange for a less conveniently located but beautiful retreat-like stay at Momma Donna's beautiful home on Wixom Lake. 

It was a delightful week of country walks, aroma therapy, sharing green smoothie recipes, eating raw breakfast cereal together and praying with friends who came to visit. What a blessing it has been to have a "Momma Donna" in my life.

This photo I took especially for Amy....

I wanted you to see Donna's birch tree hat rack.

honey do day

This weekend we had one of my favorite days....a Honey Do Day where Jay and I are both home working around the house and yard. Jay worked on a watering system for the chickens using run off water from the garden swamp cooler and I pruned the Pomegranate tree (better late than not at all)  I dug up unfriendly and unwanted cactus and hauled them to the neighbors where they were wanted while Jay pounded re-rod around the Pomegranate tree to hold bird netting. Jay harvested Saguaro fruit as I watered the garden. And when we were both so tired that we couldn't spell straight we went inside and processed the Saguaro fruit together. A very productive day.

nieces to pieces

 i

 Love

 

My

 Nieces

 To

 Pieces

 

 and with so many of them there is so much to love....